


New Romantics

by writers_blocc



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Drabble, Gen, Taylor Swift - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2016-06-06
Packaged: 2018-07-12 17:41:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7115851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writers_blocc/pseuds/writers_blocc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cisco ropes Barry into going to a Taylor Swift concert. Barry has to admit, it’s not as terrible as expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Romantics

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when I ride to Florida from Ohio listening to Taylor Swift.  
> Does this count as drabble?  
> No real plot here, and if you read long enough and squint there is some WestAllen.

_'Cause, baby, I could build a castle_  
_Out of all the bricks, they threw at me_  
_And every day is like a battle_  
_But every night with us is like a dream._  
**…**

Barry can't believe he’s here.

He cannot believe he’s handing over a three hundred dollar ticket (one of which Cisco has conveniently lying around) to the attendee who scans the barcode. He walks through the metal detectors, a look of absolute disbelief furrows his brows.

He can't believe he drove four hours on a Tuesday night all in the name of Taylor Swift.

If you're thinking it’s one of those once in a lifetime, _er my gawd_ , scratch off the bucket list things because he’s about to witness T-Swizzle live and in person - well, you’d be wrong.

Don't look at him like that. He thinks she’s talented enough and he’s not afraid to admit he’s found himself singing along to a few of her songs on the radio because, what, they’re catchy. But, and this a very strong but: never in a million years would he purchase a ticket (front row: “Cisco front row, really!?) to watch her perform at the Starling City Amphitheater.

Now he’s one in the 10,000s people the building holds. He was just starting to think he was the single percentage of disgruntled persons here but then he sees fathers and boyfriends in the crowd, and they all share the same spiritless look and ‘oh joy’, at least he’s not alone.

“Ready bro?” Cisco is all smiles. Really, if you could see him you’d think he’d been hit with some type of happy drug that Barry wishes he could get a hit off of. Instead he follows him down the steps to their section with bored enthusiasm.

“Is that a Taylor Swift t-shirt?”

Barry does a double take the moment Cisco unzips his jacket, proudly showing off the white shirt with a picture of Taylor in a white trench coat and bold lipstick.

“Yup, it's from her Red tour, dude, you should've been there. When she sang State of Grace acoustically,” Cisco places a hand over his heart and leans back to relish the memory. “It was borderline spiritual.”

Barry tilts his head back in a slow, disbelieving nod, and his eyes slant as if to ask, really?

“Yes, really.”

He must have said that out loud. It must have sounded more skeptical than he intended as well. It’s too bad he can’t find it in himself to care, especially as people start to file into their seats, rushing like bees to honey. “I can't believe you brought me here.”

“Hey, don't knock it until you try it, k. Besides, Taylor Swift is a beautiful songstress and we as mere mortals don't deserve her musical genius.”

Barry hesitates, the slight just on the tip of his tongue, but he thinks better of it and snaps his mouth shut. You would think you’d know your best friend as well as you knew yourself, but as it seems Francisco Ramon was like an onion.

He came with many layers.

And - wait.

“You've been to one of her concerts before?”

The yellow undertone visibly brightens to a pink tint that flashes across the bridge of Cisco’s nose.

“What, when?”

“So, you remember last year how I told you I was visiting my Abuela - well I did, I just happened to stay the night for a concert… and,” he sucks in a tight breath and flinches. “TheyearIcouldn’tmakeittoHarryPotter.”

Barry’s jaw sinks open. “No.”

“Yeah,” Cisco has the nerve to look flustered, “I'm not going to apologize. I will take seeing Taylor live over seeing Harry Potter in theaters, like a million times over.”

Barry gasps actually gasp.

“I know. I know. Don't hate me, it's just,” he motions to the empty stage that’s setup with lights and instruments and a glass chandelier that hangs overhead. “She’s incredible, and Caitlin usually comes with me-”

“Caitlin?”

“But she got called in for that work emergency at the last minute so I figured why not. I didn't want the ticket to go to waste ya’know.”

Barry is set to say something along the lines of ‘how could you’ or argue that the world of Harry Potter would always trump, _trump_ \- he emphasizes, Taylor Swift and should never, ever, be taken for granted. You know something to those effects but he’s interrupted by a hand tapping Cisco’s shoulder.

“Excuse me.” There’s a girl, just about the same height as Cisco with glasses set at the bridge of her nose, behind him and gesturing along the aisle. “We need to get pass.”

“Yeah sure.”

Cisco offers a kind smile, backing out onto the open floor and Barry leans his long legs back against the folding chairs. In her steed, another girl follows and as soon as she walks under Barry’s nose he catches a whiff of her perfume that causes him to look at the rest of her.

She smells like cocoa butter and Jasmine.

And Barry has never really been one of those guys who gets all slap happy at the sight of a pretty girl but jeez, he’s never seen a girl like her before either. He can’t peel his eyes away.

“I’m Barry.”

No one asked, and minus the ruckus coming from the crowd of giddy teenagers and frantic parents, the little group that has formed between the four of them goes silent.

And Barry does what he does best: which is to make things just a tad bit weirder. He holds out his hand in offering and waits.

Behind him, he can hear Cisco slap a palm to his face.

“Iris,” the wide smile she’d worn only moments before settles somewhat at the corners, but Barry is still awestruck by her radiant, perfect, shiny toothpaste commercial teeth and whoa, she can’t be real.

Nice to meet you - is what he should've said. But this is Barry we’re talking about here. “Good to know.”

This time, the slap against Cisco’s forehead is followed by a giggle. “Dude.”

He’s never going to live this down. He’s pretty certain by lunch tomorrow everyone at the police precinct and S.T.A.R labs will know.

“I-I just meant that, since we’re neighbors for this thing...,”

But like the angel he’s already picturing of her in his head, she makes the save, “In that case, it’s nice to meet you, Barry,” and she turns back to her friend.

Barry deflates, turning back to Cisco for some type of help but all his friend has to offer him is a shit eating grin stretched in a similar fashion to match one of the Jokers’. “Smooth, real smooth amigo.”

“Shut up.”

“No me diga que se calle,” Cisco fires back, tilting his head to the girls sitting to Barry’s right. “Usted es el que se ve como un idiota.”

Barry only has one year of high school Spanish under his belt, and even though he’s been friends with Cisco for God knows how long he can only put together bits and pieces when he starts to rattle off, but he’s pretty sure he’s just been called an idiot.

“Do I have to fix everything?” He doesn’t give time for Barry to answer and calls out to the girls. “First Taylor swift concert?”

“Actually, it’s my third.” This time, the other girl sticks her hand out for both Barry and Cisco to shake, and how come it seems less awkward when she does it!? “Felicity.”

“Cisco, and well you know my friend Barry already.”

Barry can literally feel heat race up to the tips of his ears.

“Cool shirt.” And they are bonding over their matching t-shirts because of course, Cisco is just so smooth when it comes to the opposite sex. “You know it senorita,” they reach to high five across Barry and Iris when he turns to her. “What about you?”

“Oh, this is my first time.”

“What a ka-winky-dink. Barry’s a virgin too.”

His face, his entire body, everything he’s sure is probably the deepest shade of red known to mankind right now. “ _Cisco._ ”

“Not that he’s a virgin in the other sense. Trust me I live with the guy and have seen the girls he’s brought home-”

“ _Cisco!_ ”

Barry doesn’t bother to even look in their direction - the sounds of their unbridled laughter is enough to regret this entire decision of opening his mouth in the first place.

He does, however, give Cisco a look that clearly reads he’s doomed. ‘Sorry’ he mouths back and Barry cuts his eyes at him. A silent argument initiates.

“And I’m just going to shut up and sit down now.”

“Guys, guys. It’s cool, we know what you meant. Are you two going to be like this the whole time?”

Both Barry and Cisco, nod dumbly because they are guys and sometimes it’s hard for them to articulate.

“Then this should be fun.” Felicity has another amused smile on her face and it matches Iris’ perfectly. And they learn that she’s pretty great actually, at diffusing awkward situations.

“Oliver, my boyfriend, refused to come within a hundred feet of this place tonight, and so Iris, the awesome friend that she is agreed to come with me because what a waste of three hundred dollars, right?”

“ _Right_. I mean you’d think they would have some kind of refund system set up.”

Felicity snorts, “Welcome to Starling City, where everyone has to get theirs.”

Cisco beams positively beams. “I like you. We’re totally going to be bros.”

They fist bump and Barry has had just about enough.

“I’ll be back.” He excuses himself and walks up the flight of stairs, finding himself at one of the concession stands when someone pokes him in the side. “Hey, what the - Iris.”

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

He’s smiling, and she’s smiling. And they look like two idiots standing at the back of the line just smiling at each other.

“So,” she finally says breaking the trance when the line moves up a bit. “Your friend seems nice.”

“Yours too.”

“He and Felicity are really hitting it off, they’ve been talking a mile a minute since you left.”

“There’s not much that can quiet Ramon when he gets started.” Barry jokes, “Especially if it’s about something he’s genuinely interested in.”

“Oh, trust me I get it. When Game of Thrones came out, it was practically the second coming for Felicity. She wrote a twenty-page thesis on how Jon Snow was destined to rule beside Daenerys Targaryen.”

“So you have a Cisco,” they titter off into laughter as the line moves up.

“What’ll it be?”

“Just a water and,” he looks over to Iris.

“A small popcorn.”

“That’ll be 11.95.”

Iris reaches for her purse but Barry assures her that he has it.

“It’s the least I could do for being weird earlier.”  
When she smile’s up at him, he’s certain his heart is about to explode.

They make their way back to the seats and stop short to find Felicity and Cisco sitting next to each other, screeching at the top of their lungs. “ _I can make the bad guys good for a weekend. So it’s going to be forever_ \- oh hey guys…”

Cisco has his fist next to his mouth as a makeshift microphone and Felicity has been caught swinging her hair like a wild woman.

“Um,” Cisco makes to move out of Iris’ seat but she holds her arms out.

“No, stay. I have a feeling you two will enjoy the show much more if you do.”

“ _S’veet_. Gracias mamacita.”

Iris surprises them both with a rapid response in Spanish.

“Oh, dude. I think we just found lifelong bffs.” He flaps his arms up and down, just in awe. “I love them already, can we take them home?”

“I don’t think their boyfriends would appreciate that too much.” Because Barry is positive that someone is waiting for this girl at home. Because there is no way that she is single.

“Actually,” Iris starts.

But just then the musicians take to the stage, and the lights start to dim and everything is happening so fast.

And between Cisco squealing, “Oh my God, it’s happening. It’s happening,” with the rest of the arena screaming their heads off, leaves Barry to wonder what ‘actually’ could mean.  
**…**  
“She was amazing.”

“Magical.”

“It’s like, every time I see her in person I think she can’t get any better but then _bam_ ,” Cisco claps his hands together, “she proves me wrong again.”

“Tell me about it.” Felicity’s voice is hoarse from singing at the top of her lungs but it doesn't keep her from raving a mile a minute with her new friend.

Barry stuffs his hands in his coat pocket, rolling his eyes as he does. The concert ended about a half hour ago but they collectively decided to hang back because it would be traffic suicide trying to get out all at once. When it calms down and the coast seems clear they make a break for the parking lot, and what would you know - they’ve parked on the same level.

Barry doesn't want to jump ahead of himself, but it was almost like the universe was trying to tell him something.

Caitlin will call it a coincidence, but years later at Barry and Iris’ wedding reception he will atone this moment as they day the rest of his life began.

“So,” he pauses when they reach his Jeep. “This is me.”

Her eyes blink to the truck parked in the spot, and there is a smile growing.

“It was nice to meet you, Barry.”

“Same here.”

They are doing that thing again where they just smile unabashedly at each other and it takes Cisco to call them out on it.

“Will you just exchange numbers already? The anticipation is killing us.”

That’s when they realize that both of their friends have stopped talking long enough about Taylor Swift to study them.

“Oh, um,” Barry clears his throat, rubs at the back of his neck. “Is that, is that okay?”

“ _Oh my God, yes_.”

“Felicity!”

“Sorry.”

Iris huffs out a breath that blows a tendril of hair up and Barry has the urge to tuck it behind her ear. Instead, he provides his number. That way she can call him if she wants to.

Good Lord, he hopes that she does.

“G’night Iris.”

He watches her tuck her lower lip in between her teeth and smiles. He feels like the wind is literally knocked out of his system at this point.

“Good night Barry.”

He can faintly hear Cisco wishing them both goodnight but his eyes don’t leave Iris until she rounds the corner of the parking deck and even then he stands there hoping that she’ll come back.

“You ready?” Cisco thumbs his side.

“Yeah,” but he’s in no mood to drive.

Four hours later when Cisco pulls into the parking lot of their shared apartment he’s still thinking about her. Two days later he’s imagining her in his dreams. He’s trying to play it cool but neither of his friends are fooled.

“Do you think she’ll call?”

“Bro, it’s only been two days. Relax.”

Relax is not in Barry Allen's vocabulary.

“She’s just a girl,” Caitlin is sure to remind him.

“You weren’t even there Caitlin,” Barry sighs dreamily, falling back into the vacant chair in her office. “She was not just some girl.”

When a whole week goes by, Barry is starting to think that maybe he jumped the gun.

Because he’s been known to do that from time to time and impulsive is definitely a part of his vocabulary.

But then, while he is in the line at Jitters on his lunch break, an unidentified number text his phone.  
**FR: 909-907-9625**  
**Hi… this is Iris.**

When he jumps into the air, fist pumping, he doesn’t care if their mom,dad, cat - dog, whoever you name it, is looking at him because _finally_.

**Author's Note:**

> 11.95, for a water and popcorn. That's outrageous!  
> This is long for no reason, for that I am sorry but I'm totally here for Ramon as a Taylor Swift fanboy because why the hell not? 
> 
> Thanks for reading.


End file.
